Robert Durst to be tried in New Orleans first

Alleged murderer to face felony charges for gun possession, before extradition to Los Angeles

The Jinx Robert Durst
Robert Durst

Robert Durst is stuck in New Orleans for now.

The black sheep of the Durst family will not be extradited to Los Angeles until Louisiana prosecutors complete their own case against the alleged murderer. Last month, Durst was arrested in New Orleans on murder charges related to the death of his friend Susan Berman in Los Angeles in 2000. During the arrest, authorities found a gun and a stash of marijuana, according to the Guardian.

“Mr. Durst is in Louisiana and will be there until they complete that case,” a Los Angeles district attorney’s spokesperson told the newspaper. “We are waiting for whatever happens in Louisiana to take its course.”

Durst, 71, is being held at a psychiatric facility outside of New Orleans, where he is on suicide watch. If convicted in Louisiana, Durst could face multiple decades in jail for the possession of a firearm. An indictment against Durst is expected to come as soon as Wednesday night, the Guardian reported.

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“At his age, given the conditions in Louisiana prisons and his health, even 10 years is a death sentence,” Craig Mordock, a former New Orleans prosecutor, told the newspaper.

The investigation into Berman’s death was reopened after evidence that was revealed during the fifth episode of HBO’s “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst.” During the series finale, Durst could be heard muttering “What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course.” [The Guardian] — Claire Moses